When The Clock Ticks

　　Pamela Grayson ran into her room and shut the door. She stood with her back to the door and let her tears run down her cheeks.

　　Her gentle sob became loud. She has no way to relieve herself from this nightmare she woke up to find herself in.

　　Why, why does it always have to be her?

　　Every unpleasant experience in the family must be either blamed on her, forced on her or she had to bear the brunt of it.

　　Every plate that broke in the house was blamed on her, every pipe that licks was definitely her fault.

　　But this is the height of it. How can her parents not be concerned about her happiness and future that they decided to marry her off to an incapacitated man?

　　"Listen to me Pamela, we have no option but to force you into this marriage. You are the only chip in our hands and there is nowhere we could turn to…" Freddie Grayson explained.

　　His words were like needles, poking Pamela's heart. Her palm clenched in pain. The pain in her heart was hurting her.

　　Isn't family the most important inheritance anyone could have? Why is her own family the oasis of her pain?

　　They would hurt her feelings, trampled on her self esteem and the next minute drag her to do their will.

　　"You should be good and do what your father and I have decided for you. We have raised you for twenty two years and treated you like a princess.

　　This is the time for you to behave like a filial daughter and make us happy. You will marry the young master of the Hayden's family…" Freya Grayson.

　　Freddie and Freya Grayson were Pamela's parents. The parents she grew up knowing, the ones who raised her. Even if they are the worst of parents any child could have, Pamela had no one else to call her parents except them.

　　Pamela sniffled and squinted. Did her mother just say they treated her like a princess?

　　Isn't her situation worse than a maid's? At Least a maid would have a share of her meal after she cooks and have a period where she would be off duty to take care of herself.

　　But not her. She stays in the tiniest room in the house and sleeps on a narrow bed that gives her no space to turn easily on her side when sleeping, otherwise, she would fall off.

　　She's the eldest but Emma lives more comfortably and satisfied than her. She does the entire chores in the house while Emma remains on the couch, and stays chatting and commenting on the latest events on social media.

　　The real daughter they treated like a princess was not her but Emma. She's the maid and Emma is the princess, more domineering than the fairy tale princesses.

　　She(Pamela) had to work part-time to pay her tuition fees while her parents would go any length to help her sister get every single thing she asked for and those she didn't ask but they felt she would need them.

　　She's not jealous of her sister but she should also be treated a little bit like a member of the family and the eldest daughter.

　　But now, when she just graduated from college and was thinking of getting a proper job, they called her and told her to marry Louis Hayden.

　　Without putting her happiness and opinion into consideration. They slated the wedding to take place the next morning.

　　She was informed a few minutes ago with the sole purpose of preparing herself to be a bride the next day.

　　And now, they claim to treat her like a princess? Princess of Grayson's kingdom,she guessed.

　　"Get ready, in a hour, Louis Hayden's parents will be here" Freya declared and Pamela's heart beat almost skipped.

　　Leah and Ellis Hayden would be visiting them? She slowly found herself going down on her knees.

　　She started sobbing afresh. Is she going to be married off to a man she has no feelings for. To say the least, the groom is incapacitated.

　　Louis Hayden is the richest business tycoon in Oak city. He was the best and the richest until three months ago when he was involved in an accident that left him in a coma.

　　And now, her parents want her to be married to a man who might never come out of coma for the rest of his life.

　　No parents would push their daughter into such a marriage except those parents are Mr and Mrs Grayson.

　　An hour later, there was the noise of a car honking and Pamela came back to her senses. She stood up from the floor and went to the bathroom to relieve herself.

　　It wasn't long, she heard her mother knocking on her door and ordering her to open the door at once.

　　"Pamela, you won't disgrace us, will you? So come out and say hello to your future parents in-law" Freya Grayson coaxed.

　　And this time, Pamela found no strength to sob anymore nor to reply to her mother. She cleaned her tears but the more she cleaned it, the more the tears flowed down.

　　What had the Hayden's come for, to finalise the plot they had with her covetous parents at the expense of her happiness.

　　"Come out already Pamela. You should dress in your best and portray yourself as an ideal daughter-in-law to be…" Freya was persuading Pamela when the latter interrupted her.

　　"I don't want to meet anyone and I am not interested as well in your arranged marriage. It would be better if you tell your friends that or better still, get Emma married instead"Pamela declared.

　　Pamela finally found her voice to refute her mother. She was shocked and disappointed at her parents when they announced her marriage to the young master of the Hayden family, to her.

　　It's her wedding but she was the last to be informed about it. They had to tell her about her own wedding taking place in less than 24 hours.

　　Freya was lost. How dare this pumpkin refuse their kind gesture of marrying her off to such an influential family. She should be thanking them rather than being an ingrate.

　　If it weren't for the billions she would be getting, she would not have supported the union in the first place.

　　"If you dare to say no, I will expose the truth…"Freya was going to spill the beans when Freddie came over just on time.

　　"What were you going to say, Freya?" Freddie asked, squinting and trying his best to be calm.